Laboratory News

National Quality Forum Prepares 48 New Measures for Hospitals

In a step that may have significant implications for both hospital-based labs and independent laboratories, the National Quality Forum  (NQF) recently gave final approval to 48 new measures for acute care hospitals through its National Voluntary Consensus Standards program.  The measures included measures for pediatric safety, hospital readmission, and prevention and care of venous thromboembolism.   

Dark Daily sees the arrival of quality standards relating to hospital readmission as a notable development.  The particular category of quality health measure represents a first step to tie inpatient providers and outpatient/outreach providers into a shared accountability for patient health outcomes.  For pathologists and laboratory directors, the future implications of this simple step are obvious.  Not only is it likely to encourage further integration of electronic patient health records (EHRs), but this could make it more important for all laboratories performing testing on a patient to offer standardized testing, normal ranges, and uniform lab test report formats.  On both counts, hospital-based laboratories and independent laboratories serving patients covered by NQF's new readmission measures will need to respond to this new development.

No one should underestimate the credibility of the NQF's quality measures.  NQF notes in its press release about the 48 new measures that: "When a measure is NQF-endorsed^TM, it carries the full weight of formal consensus of more than 375 healthcare providers, consumer groups, professional associations, purchasers, federal agencies, and research and quality improvement organizations. Standards are vetted through NQF's formal Consensus Development Process to achieve special legal standing as voluntary consensus standards and are evaluated against NQF's criteria to ensure they are important, scientifically acceptable, useable, and feasible. When the federal government adopts standards, federal law obligates that they are voluntary consensus standards."

The total number of NQF-endorsed measures is now 373.  Many of the new measures were developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality , which helped to fund the measure development.  Other funders included the Alliance for Pediatric Quality , America's Health Insurance Plans , and Blue Cross Blue Shield Association .  

Parties affected by the measures have until June 15, 2007^, to file a written appeal that explains why the measures will have a direct, adverse impact on their interests.  This is an interesting step by the NQF to ensure that providers who will be subject to the NQF measures get an opportunity to voice their opinions about the measures in advance.  Provider involvement can help insure that the standards and timeframes for implementation are realistic.

These latest measures from the NQF demonstrate the steady push to encourage providers to improve patient outcomes.  Since the measures are heavily funded by health insurance companies, providers that intend to accept health insurance plans should be prepared to adhere to and report on the quality standards that the health insurers they accept endorse.

In the meantime, laboratory directors and pathologists should pay closer attention to how hospitals in their service area chose to redirect clinical and operational processes in response to these 48 new quality health measures.  There is likely to be discussions about how inpatient, outpatient, and outreach laboratory test results are added to the patient health record.

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NATIONAL QUALITY FORUM ENDORSES CONSENSUS STANDARDS FOR QUALITY OF HOSPITAL CARE  (press release, including a list of the new measures)